Friday, August 27, 2010

Crimson and Gold, a new bar and restaurant targeted for south University Boulevard, has won permission to sell booze with its burgers.

Owners of the new restaurant at 2017 S. University Blvd. reached an agreement with the University of Denver that cleared away DU’s opposition to liquor and music licenses at the site and smoothed the way for the city of Denver to grant approval, which it did Tuesday.

“We’re pretty excited,” says co-owner Kevin Caldwell. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Caldwell and his brother, Craig Caldwell, leased the former Aroma Café and Hookah Bar space just south of the Conoco station in December 2009. Plans call for a DU-themed restaurant that will specialize in burgers at lunch, then add steaks, fish and a nightly special in the evening. [read entire article]

For the first time since the 2005-06 season, season ticket sales for Colorado College hockey have gone up.

As of Friday morning, the Western Collegiate Hockey Association member had sold 232 more season tickets than the previous season with several weeks left before the Tigers open exhibition play against Lethbridge on Oct. 2.

CC sold 4,294 season tickets for 2009-10 with 4,526 sold this offseason after a price drop was announced this spring, said Scott Lowenberg, assistant athletic director, marketing.

Lowenberg said the ticket prices and incoming freshman Jaden Schwartz, the No. 14 pick in the 2010 NHL draft, were the two factors buyers mentioned.

There are only 30 lower-bowl seats left out of the 1,500 CC season tickets remaining at the 7,343-seat World Arena. Most are available along the upper bowl sides, which cost $229. Only 125 of the cheapest ($149, upper corners) remain, Lowenberg said.

“It’s very exciting to be ahead,” he said. “We think the sales will improve even more in the next couple years.”

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Former DU Captain J.P. Testwuide signed and AHL contract with the Philadelphia Flyers. Testwuide, 25, spent the 2009-10 season (his rookie season) with the Houston Aeros of the AHL, where he registered two goals, six assists and 111 penalty minutes in 58 games. J.P. will be reunited with his brother, Mike, who played at Colorado College, signed an entry-level deal last season with the Flyers through 2013.

Paul Kelly, czar of College Hockey Inc., is actively looking new schools to jump into the Division I hockey pool, in order to expand beyond the current 58 schools. He told a Canadian newspaper columnist Penn State is starting a program in September 2011, Indiana University is considering doing the same and there’s hope that some of the 421 U.S. colleges that have club teams in the American College Hockey Association may consider converting those to full-scholarship, Division I programs. With several potential coaching vacancies opening up in the next few seasons, it might explain why Steve Miller was considering the USHL Green Bay position.

The Hockey News' "Hotlist" ranks a variety of prospects throughout the season. This week they took a look at players attending the 2010 NHL R & D Camp. Most of the players invited are expected to be first round draft picks next summer. Two DU recruits participated in the Camp, Scott Mayfield and Nick Shore.

For most of the media attending the NHL’s Research & Development Camp last week, the exhibition provided insights into how potential new rules would work in a game situation. But since the games involved more than 30 of the best players available for the 2011 draft, it was a Hot List gold mine. Here’s a look at some of the players who stood out and, as always, the ones we can’t wait to see in the NHL some day.

3. Scott Mayfield, D – Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

Already 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Mayfield has a great frame and he’s also fast for a big blueliner. He knows when to make rushes and was very noticeable during the game for all the right reasons. Committed to the University of Denver in the future, Mayfield also has some offensive pop. Draft eligible in 2011.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Steve Miller will remain at the University of Denver as coach George Gwozdecky's top assistant. Miller today said he was runnerup to Eric Rud in becoming the head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League (read rest of article).

Friday, August 20, 2010

Former University of Denver hockey player Gavin Morgan will begin his coaching career as an assistant at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. Morgan played 11 years of professional hockey, mostly in the AHL, and appeared in six games with the NHL Dallas Stars.

Add Morgan to a growing line of former players of Coach Gwozdecky that have joined the coaching ranks in recent seasons. In four seasons at DU between 1995-99, Morgan scored 32 goals and 48 assists.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Steve Miller, the associate head hockey coach at the University of Denver, interviewed Thursday for the head-coaching job for the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League. [Read Denver Post article]

Denver Post writer Mike Chambers stopped by DU on Wednesday to check out Day 3 of the hockey program’s inaugural “pro camp,” and what he found was a collection of the area’s best live-in hockey players. [Read Entire Article]

The temptation to party at a local bar is always there, even if Colorado College hockey players know the potential repercussions.

The school and its coaching staff do a good job making sure they realize the potential ramifications, even if the players are over 21, former player Scott McCulloch said.

Sophomore defensemen Michael Boivin, 19, and Joe Marciano, 20, will find out next month. Both are under legal drinking age and were pictured, with what appears to be beer in hand, in the March 18, 2010 edition of The Gazette. They were photographed during an audience participation portion of an Irish dancing performance at Jack Quinn’s Irish Pub & Restaurant on St. Patrick’s Day.

“I’ve seen the picture and talked to each of the two boys individually,” Tigers coach Scott Owens said. “Any subsequent action by the school or program will be dealt with when they come back in September. It will be dealt with internally.”

The Tigers’ season had ended with a 4-0 loss at Minnesota-Duluth that Sunday, leaving the players to spend spring break in Colorado Springs. Boivin is of legal drinking age in his native Canada.

The CC Student Code of Conduct is not specific on what may be done but notes that violations of federal, state and local law are grounds for initiating proceedings. The potential punishment is not specified.

“They must have had fake IDs,” Jack Quinn’s assistant manager Meredith Klube said. “I’m sure of it. They were checked before they got their wristbands (allowing them to buy alcohol). We’re very careful. We have a good reputation as one of the stricter bars.”

Through preseason talks with athletic department officials and the coaches, players learn that they have a heightened visibility on campus and to a lesser extent in Colorado Springs.

“We speak about it right from the beginning; early September on,” Owens said before the incident was known. “They come from varied backgrounds so we deal with everything with alcohol including what it does and potential fallout.

“There are good and bad things about being identifiable,” he added. “They have to be careful.”

They also cannot expect any favoritism as athletes. Athletic director Ken Ralph has said all students are treated equally.

Monday, August 16, 2010

In the first of a five-part series, Adam Gretz looks at the growth of USA Hockey and the number of "non-traditional" cities and regions that are now producing players in the wake of NHL expansion. Today he profiled the growth of Californian hockey. Fanhouse will run a new installment each day this week.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

(above) DU Alum Brandon Vossberg will begin his professional career in Alaska

The Portland Pirates (AHL) announced today that the Buffalo Sabres have re-signed Head Coach and DU Alum Kevin Dineen for the 2010-11 American Hockey League season. Dineen has been a candidate for several NHL head coaching vacancies in recent seasons.

The first annual University of Denver Hockey Alumni Pro Camp will be held Aug. 16-20 at Joy Burns Ice Arena. The pro camp will allow current professional DU hockey alums the opportunity to train together in preparation for their upcoming seasons this fall. DU hockey alumni expected to participate in this year's inaugural camp are Peter Mannino, Chris Butler, Rhett Rakhshani, Joe Colborne, Marc Cheverie, Geoff Paukovich, Ryan Dingle, J.D. Corbin, Tom May and Matt Glasser. Cody McLeod of the Colorado Avalanche is also expected to participate in the camp.

Two DU recruits are among the 35 players invited to participate in the 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp in Etobicoke, Ontario on August 18-19. Incoming DU Freshman Nick Shore and high school Senior Scott Mayfield will participate in the Camp. Mayfield will play in the USHL again this season for the Youngstown Phantoms. Both Mayfield and Shore are expected to be first round draft choices next summer.

The purpose of the camp is for NHL team officials to get a look at possible rules changes with the extra benefit of seeing top 2011 Draft-eligible prospects show off their skills while competing under the rule changes.

"This Camp has the bonus element of giving general managers and their staffs an early season look at many of the players whose names they will be calling out as their teams' top-round selections in the June 2011 Entry Draft in St. Paul," said E.J. McGuire, Director of the NHL Central Scouting. "These are some of the most talented players available to execute the unique skills and strategies which the camp is designed to test and evaluate."

In all, 20 forwards, 12 defensemen and three goaltenders were picked for the camp. They will be led on the ice by veteran coaches Ken Hitchcock and Dave King.

Bennett, whom the Penguins selected with the 20th overall selection in June, finished the four-game exhibition series between the Americans, Sweden and Finland with a team-leading six assists in four games. He notched two assists on Saturday in the United States’ 8-3 victory over the Finns, the third time in four contests Bennett posted two helpers in a single game.

Penguins assistant to the general manager Tom Fitzgerald was in Lake Placid for the beginning of Evaluation camp and he came away impressed with how Bennett stacked up against the high level of competition.

“Beau showed me really good hockey sense and better speed than I thought – especially in flight once he gets going,” Fitzgerald said. “His ability to handle the puck and make plays – he just knew what he was doing with the puck before he got it – that tells you how precious his hockey IQ is. He went into the Sweden-Finland portion of the tournament and picked up right where he left off in the blue-white (scrimmage) games.”

USA Hockey’s Junior Evaluation Camp featured 42 U.S.-born players – including two other recent Penguins’ draft picks, defenseman Philip Samuelsson (2009; second round) and forward Bryan Rust (2010; third round) – auditioning for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo, N.Y.

While Pittsburgh was certainly well represented at Lake Placid, it was Bennett, the 6-foot-1, 173-pound Gardena, California native, who stood out the most.

Playing against some of the top Under-20 talent the United States, Sweden and Finland had to offer, Bennett proved his talent level stacks up favorably with the game’s top prospects.

“It says a lot for his hockey sense that he was able to easily make that transition,” Fitzgerald said. “You have to have that to be an elite player. He was very good on the power play. Whatever wall he set up on or even along the goal line, he made plays happen. He played every power play for them, so that just tells you what he brings to the table for a team.

“He just makes players around him better. If you look at the lineup and you see Beau Bennett next to you, you have a chance to become a better player yourself. We as an organization are really excited to see him grow.”

Team USA moved Bennett around quite a bit during Evaluation Camp as he saw shifts with fellow 2010 early-round draft picks Emerson Etem, DU incoming Freshman Jason Zucker and Justin Faulk among many others. Despite Bennett’s linemates changing often, his production never did. That has Fitzgerald expecting Bennett to be one of the Americans’ top offensive threats in Buffalo.

“I would like to think so,” said Fitzgerald, who kept in touch with Bennett via text message throughout the camp. “I think he made an impression and an impact on the staff there last week. Now he has to go to Denver (University) and continue to grow as a player so he can be named to the U.S. team when they make the announcement.”

Based upon his strong performance Bennett figures to be a good bet to make the World Junior roster later this year.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

(above) DU incoming Freshman Beau Bennett (#23) crushes a Finnish player during the first game against Finland

Team USA defeated Finland 8-3 on Saturday in its final game of the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp. Incoming DU Freshman Beau Bennett had two more assists on power play goals and Jason Zucker provided a spark to the team during the decisive second period when the USA exploded for five goals.

Bennett finished the camp as the fourth leading scorer with one goal and six assists in seven games. Zucker added a goal in six games. In the international games against Sweden and Finland, Bennett led the team with six assists.

Both Zucker & Bennett will find out their status on the squad in late December following a pre-tournament camp that will begin in mid-December.

The contest featured 22 of the 42 U.S. players who participated in the camp and were auditioning for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo, N.Y.

Saturday, August 07, 2010

University of Denver hockey coach George Gwozdecky is one of this year’s inductees into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

Former NHLer Greg Johnson and former world-champion curler Al Hackner Also being honored at the annual inductee dinner on Sept. 25. BMX star Jay Miron and two-time Olympic freestyle skier Dave Walker. Entering the hall in the builder’s category is legendary hockey coach George Gwozdecky Jr. and Fred Bragnalo.

In a release issued Friday afternoon, NOW Hall of Fame president Phil Jarvis said, “The individuals being inducted this year are another fine example of the outstanding athletes, coaches and volunteers who come out of our region.

By inducting these individuals into the hall of fame we are able to ensure that their contributions in sport will not be forgotten and that they will continue to serve as a source of community pride for generations to come.”

Johnson, who spent a dozen years in the NHL, retired after the 2005-06 season having scored 145 goals and 369 points playing for Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Nashville.

Hackner, known around the world as The Iceman, was born in Nipigon and went on to skip teams in nine Canadian men’s championships, winning the Brier in 1982 and 1985, helping taking out Alberta’s Pat Ryan with perhaps the most famous double in curling history.

Gwozdecky, who has won more than 500 games in his U.S. college coaching career, won national titles behind the University of Denver Pioneers bench in 2004 and 2005.

The Texas Tornado announced that forward Justin Jones (5'11 180 lbs) has committed to the University of Denver, where he has accepted a scholarship to play for the Pioneers beginning this Fall.

“It is tough to put into words how excited I am,” said Jones. “I am very thankful to my family and the Texas Tornado for making this dream come true.”

In his first season with the Tornado, Jones played in 54 of the team’s 58 regular season games, scoring seven goals and adding 13 assists.

“I really feel like this past season was my best developmentally,” Jones said. “Coach (Curtale) did a great job of recognizing what type of player I was, focused on those skill sets and really taught me a lot about the mental aspect of the game. We had such good chemistry in the locker room and that played a big part in my success as well.”

Jones elevated his game during the 2010 Robertson Cup playoffs, as the 19-year-old forward was second in scoring with three points in five games.

“We are very happy for Justin and his family, and it is a testament to his work ethic and ability to be coached,” said Texas Tornado Head Coach and General Manager Tony Curtale. “Justin is an extremely good defensive forward and was one of the best skaters in the league. Both those assets will come in handy at the Division I collegiate level.”

Jones spent 1999 and 2000 in Denver while his dad, Popeye Jones, played in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets. He will be the first ever player in the 11-year history of the Texas Tornado to play for the University of Denver.

“I think Justin is going into a very nice situation at the University of Denver,” said Curtale. “He is familiar with the city and most importantly, he should be able to contribute from the start given his skill set.”

The University of Denver is one of the most storied programs in the history of NCAA hockey. Their seven NCAA National Championships rank second all-time to the University of Michigan’s nine. “Denver is a place I am familiar with so to be going back there to play college hockey for one of the most storied programs in the Nation… I couldn’t be happier.”

Since the creation of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 1959, the Pioneers have won nine WCHA Regular Season Championships 14 WCHA Playoff Championships.

The Colorado College hockey team may no longer be ranked in the Top 10 annually, but those crazy pot smoking students in the Springs annually appear on the Princeton Review's list of the Top 10 Marijuana Colleges in the Nation.

This year CC's students ranked #7 out of the 373 top colleges in the United States. Colorado College also scored well in several other categories.

Thursday, August 05, 2010

GRAND FORKS – Turns out that hockey players at North Dakota aren't the only students on campus not hitting the books. The University of North Dakota received some dubious recognition from the Princeton Review this week. UND moved up on the list of schools with students who study the least – actually, it’s #1 – and landed a spot on the list of schools with least-accessible professors.

To be fair, UND is still among the nation’s 373 top universities, which is how it got into Princeton Review’s list of “The Best 373 Colleges” in North America. It was the only one in North Dakota listed, though several state universities did make it into a separate list of top Midwestern colleges.

Princeton Review arrived at its rankings through a survey of 122,000 students at the 373 colleges, asking questions such as how widely liquor is used on campus.

Other than the rankings for specific categories, such as least studious students, the 373 are not ranked together because the company thinks it’d be comparing apples and oranges. Different universities fit different kinds of students, it said.

So, here’s a quick recap: In 2009 UND was No. 5 among those with students who study the least, No. 15 for students who down the most liquor and No. 18 among party schools.

This year, UND is #1 among those with students who study the least and No. 19 among those with professors who are least accessible.

The Princeton Review based those on answers to these questions: “How many out-of-class hours do you spend studying each day?” and “How accessible are your instructors outside the classroom?”

In response to questions about its students’ studiousness, UND released a study by the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, that compared UND students with those at two peer universities, whose names were not revealed.

UND seniors in the 2008-09 year said they studied, on average, 5.48 hours a week. At one peer, seniors said they studied an average of 5.54 hours and, at the other peer, 5.37 hours. UND freshmen said they studied an average of 5.48 hours while their peers studied 5.65 and 5.48.

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

DU incoming Freshman Beau Bennett was moved up to the first line for today's game with Finland. Bennett responded with two assists and now leads the team in scoring after two games. For the second consecutive game, Team USA jumped out to a 4-0 lead en route to a 6-3 win over Finland at the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp.

The United States scored four times in the first five minutes of play en route to a 6-3 victory over Sweden in its first of four international games at the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp.

DU recruits Jason Zucker had one goal, while Beau Bennett had two assists. Of note was Team USA’s first goal of the game, an exciting drive to the net by Zucker that brought a surprisingly packed house to its feet. Zucker's goal got the U.S. on the board less than 90 seconds into the game when he drove to the front of the net, shielded off a Swedish defenseman and lifted a shot past goalie Robin Lehner.

The contest featured 22 of the 28 U.S. players currently participating in the camp and auditioning for a spot on the U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the 2011 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo, N.Y.

"I thought we had a good all-around effort," said Keith Allain, head coach of the 2011 U.S. National Junior Team. "We need to improve on our systems, but this is the first time a lot of these guys have played together, and this camp will help us prepare for December."

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

St. Louis and Florida pulled off a minor trade Tuesday as 22-year-old defenseman T.J. Fast heads to the Panthers in exchange for 31-year-old forward Graham Mink.

Fast, a former player at the University of Denver, was a second-round pick in the 2005 Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. The Blues acquired him on June 4, 2008 and Fast has been in their system ever since.

Fast split last season between the ECHL and AHL, scoring 31 points in 46 games with the Alaska Aces and adding one point in 18 games with the Peoria Rivermen. He had five points in 46 AHL games in 2008-09.

The U.S. will begin international competition this afternoon at 2 PM MT when it takes on Sweden. DU players Beau Bennett and Jason Zucker will be going after two of the 13 available forward spots on Team USA.

Last night, Finland and Sweden played in a penalty-filled affair and won 5-3.

Monday, August 02, 2010

Not too many details available, but Drew Shore injured his shoulder during the 2nd USA Scrimmage and will miss the remainder of the USA Evaluation Camp. No word how serious the injury is or if it will impact his Sophomore season at the University of Denver.

DU opens the regular season a little over two months from now against the University of Vermont.